U.S. patent number 8,371,622 [Application Number 12/228,962] was granted by the patent office on 2013-02-12 for leak proof pipe connections and leak proofing pipe connections.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Patent Store LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is James C. Keeven, Lloyd Herbert King, Jr., David Kreutz, Steven Rhea, Mathew Walters. Invention is credited to James C. Keeven, Lloyd Herbert King, Jr., David Kreutz, Steven Rhea, Mathew Walters.
United States Patent |
8,371,622 |
King, Jr. , et al. |
February 12, 2013 |
Leak proof pipe connections and leak proofing pipe connections
Abstract
A sealing ring and a method of preventing or stopping a joint
leak between a pipe and a pipe fitting to minimize property damage
as well as clean up costs occurring from property damage due to
joint leaks by securing a sealing ring to the pipe and the pipe
fitting to form a secondary joint that inhibits or prevent leakage
between the primary joint between the pipe and the pipe
fitting.
Inventors: |
King, Jr.; Lloyd Herbert
(Chesterfield, MO), Kreutz; David (Saint Louis, MO),
Walters; Mathew (Kirkwood, MO), Rhea; Steven (St.
Peters, MO), Keeven; James C. (O'Fallon, MO) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
King, Jr.; Lloyd Herbert
Kreutz; David
Walters; Mathew
Rhea; Steven
Keeven; James C. |
Chesterfield
Saint Louis
Kirkwood
St. Peters
O'Fallon |
MO
MO
MO
MO
MO |
US
US
US
US
US |
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|
Assignee: |
The Patent Store LLC (O'Fallon,
MO)
|
Family
ID: |
40378872 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/228,962 |
Filed: |
August 18, 2008 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20090051126 A1 |
Feb 26, 2009 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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60965612 |
Aug 21, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
285/347; 285/915;
285/3; 285/294.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16L
25/10 (20130101); F16L 13/103 (20130101); B29C
65/4895 (20130101); Y10T 403/477 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
F16L
19/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;285/347,915,3,294.4,294.3,294.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2019980033024 |
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Sep 1998 |
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KR |
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1020030087579 |
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Nov 2003 |
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KR |
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WO99/34142 |
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Jul 1999 |
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WO |
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WO2005/043021 |
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May 2005 |
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WO |
|
Primary Examiner: Bochna; David E
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Jacobson & Johnson LLC
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to provisional patent application
Ser. No. 60/965,612 filed Aug. 21, 2007 titled LEAKPROOF PIPE
CONNECTIONS AND LEAKPROOFING PIPE CONNECTIONS.
Claims
We claim:
1. In combination: a PVC pipe; a cylindrical one-piece PVC split
sealing ring having a first end and a second end; an annular end
face and an annular pipe engagement surface with the sealing ring
having sufficient flexibility so that a first end of the sealing
ring and the second end of the sealing ring can be spread apart to
allow lateral insertion of the sealing ring around the pipe with
the sealing ring having sufficient resiliency to return to its
original shape after the sealing ring is placed around the pipe; a
PVC pipe fitting located on the outside of said PVC pipe with said
PVC pipe extending into said PVC pipe fitting, and having an
annular bonded joint between the pipe and the pipe fitting that may
or may not leak; and a securement film present on either the
annular pipe engagement surface of the split sealing ring or the
external surface of the pipe or both, said sealing ring spaced from
an end of the pipe in the pipe fitting with the annular end face of
the sealing ring positionable along the pipe and into face to face
engagement with an annular edge of the pipe fitting when the
securement film is in an uncured state, said securement film
securing said sealing ring proximate said pipe and said pipe
fitting when the securement film is in a cured state to thereby
inhibit or prevent leaks through the joint.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the sealing ring includes an
annular surface having a diameter sufficiently larger than the
diameter of the pipe so as to slide along an exterior pipe surface
but sufficiently small so that a diametrical clearance between the
exterior pipe surface and the annular surface on the sealing ring
permits joining the exterior pipe surface and the annular surface
securement film to each other.
3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the annular end face includes
a further annular sealing surface located at a right angle to the
annular end face.
4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the sealing ring includes an
exterior surface having a plurality of radial protrusions to
thereby help a user easily grip and rotate the sealing ring.
5. In combination: a cylindrical one-piece, sealing ring having an
annular end sealing surface and an annular pipe engagement surface;
a thermoplastic pipe and a thermoplastic pipe fitting having an
annular bonded joint therebetween that may or may not leak; and a
securement film present on either the annular pipe engagement
surface or the external surface of the pipe or both, said sealing
ring annular end sealing surface positionable along the pipe and
into engagement with an annular edge of the pipe fitting when the
securement film is in an uncured state, said securement film
securing said sealing ring proximate said pipe and said pipe
fitting when the securement film is in a cured state to thereby
inhibit or prevent leaks through the joint wherein the sealing ring
is secured to the pipe fitting through a ruptureable member.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to leak proofing pipe connections
and, more specifically, to leak proofing joints between pipes and
fittings such as PVC pipes and fittings.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
None
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
None
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The concept of a method of solvent welding is well known in the
art. In solvent welding a thermoplastic polymer fitting, such as
PVC, is coated with a thin layer of solvent that for a short time
dissolves the surfaces of the polymer fitting creating a viscous
liquid film on the surface of the fitting. While the surface of the
polymer fitting is in the dissolved or liquid state it is joined to
a surface of a polymer pipe that also has a thin layer of solvent
thereon which also creates a viscous liquid film on the surface of
the pipe. While both the surfaces of the polymer fittings have a
thin viscous film the fittings are brought together and held in
position. As the viscous film solidifies or cures it creates a
solvent welded joint between the two fittings. If for some reason
the film does not cover the entire shared surfaces between the pipe
and the fitting a leak can occur causing property damage as well as
clean up costs and time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a sealing ring and a method of preventing
or stopping joint leaks between pipes and fittings to minimize
property damage as well as clean up costs occurring from property
damage due to joint leaks. In one mode of the invention a sealing
ring may be placed around the exterior cylindrical surface of a
pipe prior to securing the pipe to a fitting. The sealing ring may
then be secured to the pipe and the fitting at the time the pipe is
secured to the fitting to prevent joint leaks between the pipe and
the fitting. In another mode of the invention, the sealing ring may
be secured around the exterior cylindrical surface of a pipe and
secured to the pipe and the fitting after discovering a joint leak
between the pipe and the pipe fitting to thereby stop the joint
leak and thus prevent further joint leakage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a one-piece closed sealing ring for leak
proofing joints between members;
FIG. 2 is a front view of a one-piece, split sealing ring for leak
proofing joints between thermoplastic members;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a thermoplastic pipe secured to a
thermoplastic coupling with a sealing ring in an unsealed
condition;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a thermoplastic pipe secured to a
thermoplastic coupling with a sealing ring in a sealed
condition;
FIG. 5 is an alternate example of a sealing ring in an unsealed
condition but secured to coupling by a runner;
FIG. 6 shows the sealing ring of FIG. 5 secured to a thermoplastic
pipe and a thermoplastic coupling to provide a leak proof seal
between the thermoplastic pipe and the thermoplastic coupling;
FIG. 7 is an example of connectable ends on a one-piece,
split-sealing ring;
FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the connectable ends of FIG. 7 in
an engaged condition; and
FIG. 9 is a front view of the sealing ring with the connectable
ends of FIG. 8.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In one mode the invention provides a leak proofing system for
preventing or stopping joint leaks through a safety or sealing ring
and a securement film, which may be a solvent welding film, so that
the sealing ring may be solvent welded to both a pipe and a
fitting. While the system is described with regard to using a
securement film, which can be cured such as a solvent welding film,
the leak proofing system is also well suited for fittings that are
secured to each other other than by solvent welding films, for
example adhesives or the like. In another mode the invention
includes a method of leak proofing by securing a pipe to a fitting
through a first surface-to-surface joint that may or may not be
leak proof and placing a sealing ring around an exterior
cylindrical surface of the pipe and then securing the sealing ring
to the pipe and the fitting to form a further surface-to-surface
joint with the further surface-to-surface joint located proximate
to the first surface-to-surface joint and in series therewith to
thereby inhibit a leak through the first surface-to-surface
joint.
FIG. 1 shows a front view of an example of a one-piece leak
proofing member such as a thermoplastic member comprising a PVC
sealing ring or closed safety ring 10 for leak proofing a
circumferential joint between thermoplastic members such as a PVC
pipe and a PVC fitting. Sealing ring 10 includes an outer annular
surface 11 and an pipe engagement surface 15 and an annular end
face 14 for engaging the exterior surface of a pipe fitting. That
is, annular surface 15 and annular surface 14 are at a right angle
or at substantial right angles to each other to permit annular
surface 14 to abut against the end of a pipe fitting and to permit
annular pipe engaging surface 15 to engage an exterior surface of a
pipe 31. The annular surfaces are shown at a right angle to each
other so they can be mated with pipe surfaces and fittings that are
also at right angles to each other. In some applications, the
surfaces of the sealing ring may be at angles other than right
angles as long as the sealing ring 10 can be seated to a pipe and a
fitting where a leak may occur. In the example shown the annular
surface 15 has a diameter sufficiently large so as to slide along
an exterior pipe surface but sufficiently small so that a
diametrical clearance between the exterior pipe surface and the
annular surface 15 permits joining an exterior pipe surface and the
annular surface to each other with a securement film present
therebetween.
FIG. 2 is a front view of another example of a sealing ring
comprising a one-piece split sealing ring 20 for leak proofing
joints between members that have been previously joined together.
Split-sealing ring 20 includes an outer annular surface 21, an
annular pipe engaging face 25 and an annular end face 24 that is
perpendicular to annular surface 25. In the example shown annular
end face 24 can abut against the end of a pipe fitting and an
annular surface 25 can engage the exterior surface of a pipe. In
some applications, the surfaces of the sealing ring 20 also may be
at angles other than right angles as long as the sealing ring 20
can be seated to a pipe and a fitting where a leak may occur.
The split-sealing ring 20 allows one to place the sealing ring
around a pipe without having to slide the sealing ring over the end
of the pipe. That is, the split-sealing ring 20 retains sufficient
flexibility so that the end 28 and the end 29 can be separated or
spread apart to allow lateral insertion of the split-sealing ring
20 around a pipe with the ring having sufficient resiliency to
return to its original shape after the sealing ring is placed
around the pipe. Thus, with the sealing ring 20 a user can
laterally place the sealing ring around a pipe and seal a leak in a
system without having to cut, remove and replace an existing
leaking fitting and pipe since the split ring can be positioned
next to a leaky fitting and secured to the pipe and the leaky
fitting to thereby provide a secondary seal to inhibit or prevent
leakage from a primary joint between the pipe and the fitting.
FIG. 3 shows sealing ring 10 positioned around a pipe 31 and
proximate a fitting 30 in an unsealed condition and FIG. 4 shows
the sealing ring 10 having annular surface 14 of the sealing ring
10 abutting against the fitting 30 in a sealed condition to provide
a leak proof seal/connection between fitting 30 and pipe 31. More
specifically, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a pipe coupling 30 and
sealing ring 10, which is located on the exterior surface 31a of
pipe 31, with sealing ring 10 in an unsealed condition and pipe 31
and pipe coupling 30 in a sealed condition. FIG. 3 shows a solvent
film 31s, which can be applied by a brush or dauber, located on a
portion of the exterior surface 31a of pipe 31. The cured solvent
film 31s, which is located on the interior of fitting 30, that
secures pipe 31 to fitting 30. A second solvent film 31t, which can
also be applied by a brush or dauber, is located on the portion of
the exterior surface 31a of pipe 31 that extends outward from
fitting 30. If the solvent welding of the annular outer surface 31a
of pipe 31 to annular inner surface 30s of fitting 30 do not
provide a leak proof seal between the pipe 31 and fitting 30, one
can leak proof the connection therebetween with sealing ring 10 by
securing the sealing ring 10 to the pipe 31 and fitting 30 so that
when the solvent films 31t cures, it form a secondary seal or
welded joint between pipe 31, sealing ring 10 and fitting 30.
To appreciate the system of leak proofing a connection between pipe
31 and coupling 30 reference should be made to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.
FIG. 3 shows the sealing ring 10 prior to the sealing ring 10 being
brought into a sealing condition and FIG. 4 shows the sealing ring
10 in a sealing condition with the sealing ring 10 positioned
around the exterior of pipe 31 and secured to the pipe 31 and to
the end of fitting 30 through solvent welding. Once cured, as
illustrated in FIG. 4, the sealing ring 10 inhibits or prevents
leakage in the primary joint between the pipe 31 and fitting 30 by
providing a secondary joint between sealing ring 10 coupling 30 and
pipe 31 which is in series with the primary joint.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, pipe 31 is secured to a fitting
comprising a coupling 30 through a cured solvent film 31s. In order
to prevent or stop a joint leak between pipe 31 and fitting 30 the
sealing ring 10 can be secured to both pipe 31 and fitting 30. In
leakproofing a joint between pipe 31 and fitting 30 one can apply a
conventional securement film such as a solvent film 31t to the
exterior surface 31a of pipe 31, which is located between sealing
ring 10 and the end of fitting 30, annular surface 15, annular end
face 14 of sealing ring 10 and to end face 30c of fitting 30.
Typically, the solvent film 31t may extend at least partially over
any exposed solvent film 31s which was used to secure pipe 31 to
fitting 30 if the solvent 31s has dried on pipe 31.
While the solvent 31t is still in the viscous or flowable state the
sealing ring 10, which is in the presence of solvent sealant 31t,
is slid axially along pipe 31 and into engagement with the end of
coupling 30 as illustrated in FIG. 4. The sealing ring 10 and
coupling 30 are held in place until the film of solvent 31t
solidifies thereby forming a second solvent weld, which secures the
sealing ring 10 to both the pipe 31 and the end of the coupling 30.
It is noted that in the example of FIG. 3 the second solvent welded
joint between the sealing ring 10, pipe 31 and pipe coupling 30
forms a secondary joint, which is a barrier for fluid to escape
threrethrough. Consequently, if a leak exists in a primary solvent
welded joint between coupling 30 and pipe 31, the second welded
joint between the sealing ring 10 and the pipe 31 and coupling 30
prevents or inhibits leakage therepast. Even if the secondary joint
should have a leak the odds of an alignment of a leak in the
primary joint and the secondary joint are small so that the chances
of a pipe leak occurring have been greatly diminished. While the
preferred method is to allow the primary joint to cure before
forming the secondary joint in some instances, one may want to
secure both the primary and secondary joints at the same time.
In the preferred method of providing a secondary seal, the primary
solvent welded joint is allowed to set or cure before the secondary
solvent welded joint is formed. It should be pointed out that while
the invention is described in regard to solvent welding other
methods used to secure pipes to fittings or the like using
adhesives, such as glue, can also be used to leak proof a joint
through the use of sealing ring and an adhesive. In addition, the
leak proofing can also be used with systems wherein the primary
joint is formed by other methods such as sonic welding or the like
and the secondary joint is formed through other methods including
sonic welding, adhesives, solvents and the like.
Thus in one example the invention includes a method of leak
proofing thermoplastic members such as pipe 31 and pipe coupling 30
by securing the thermoplastic pipe 31 to a thermoplastic fitting 30
through solvent welding to thereby form a first solvent secured
joint therebetween that may or may not be leak proof. One can then
place a sealing ring around an exterior cylindrical surface of the
thermoplastic pipe 31 and apply a film of solvent to the exterior
surface of the thermoplastic pipe and to an annular cylindrical
surface and a cylindrical end face of a sealing ring. One can then
bring the sealing ring 10 into engagement with the fitting 30
before the solvent has set. By holding the sealing ring 10 and the
fitting 30 in position until the solvent sets or cures a further
solvent secured joint is formed with the further solvent secured
joint located in series with the first solvent secured joint.
FIG. 5 is yet another example of a sealing ring 41 in an unsealed
condition, which is secured to coupling 40 by a ruptureable
longitudinal extending runner or web 41a. In this example the pipe
32 the coupling 40 are located around pipe 32 and sealing ring 41
is not secured to pipe 32 but coupling 40 is secured to pipe 32.
However, if a leak is discovered between coupling 40 and pipe 32 or
if one wants to ensure that no leaks occur therebetween, the
ruptureable runner 41a can be broken and a securement film
positioned on pipe 32 so that the sealing ring 41 can be axially
slid to the end of the fitting 40 as shown in FIG. 6. While the
fitting 40 is shown with a sealing ring 41 having an annular
surface 42 that extends radially outward and can abut surface 40a
the annular surface 42 can be partly or wholly angled so that when
the sealing ring 41 is brought proximate the end of the fitting 40
the solvent is forced into the junction between the pipe 32 and the
fitting 40 to thereby form a bead of securement film around the
exterior of the pipe 40.
FIG. 6 shows the sealing ring of FIG. 5 secured to both a pipe 32
and a coupling 40 to provide a secondary leak proof seal between
the pipe 32 and the coupling 40. In this example the runner or web
41a, which holds the sealing ring proximate the coupling is
ruptured or removed and the sealing ring 41 is then secured to the
end of the fitting 40 and to the pipe 32 Thus, when the sealing
ring 41 and the coupling 40 are in an end-to-end condition with the
sealing ring secured to the pipe 32 one leak proofs the primary
joint between pipe 32 and coupling 40.
FIG. 7-FIG. 9 show yet another example of a split sealing ring 60
having connectable ends 62 and 61. The connectable ends 62 and 61
allow one to form sealing ring 60 into a closed ring for securing
around a pipe. FIG. 7 shows the connectable ends 61 and 62 in an
unengaged condition and FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 shows the connectable
ends 61 and 62 in the connected condition for securing to a pipe
and coupling to provide a leak proof seal between the pipe and
coupling. Split-sealing ring 60 includes a hook 51 and a hook 52,
which are shown in FIG. 7 as identical, however they need not be.
Specifically, hook 51 and hook 52 are located on connectable ends
61 and 62, respectively. Hook 51 has an angled or canted face 81
and similarly hook 52 has an angled or canted face 82. Angled faces
81 and 82 prevent the hooks from slipping apart or separating since
a circumferential force will draw the hooks toward each other. That
is, when the hooks are matingly engaged, face 81 of hook 51 and
face 82 of hook 52 engage each other to prevents or inhibit
separation of the connectable ends 61 and 62 of sealing ring 60.
Although canted faces are shown other methods and means of
maintaining the connectable ends in engagement with each other may
be used.
Split-sealing ring 60 also includes a tab 53 and a groove 54 for
laterally securing the connectable ends 61 and 62 of split-sealing
ring 60. In the example shown both tab 53 and groove 54 are
integral to split-sealing ring 60. As one engages hooks 51 and 52
with each other, tab 53 and groove 54 engage with each other to
prevent lateral movement of the connectable ends of the sealing
ring 60 with respect to each other. More specifically, tab 53 with
sidewall 53a and 53c matingly engage with groove sidewall 54b and
groove sidewall 54a. It is noted that the width of side wall 54a
and the width of groove wall 54b are sufficiently sized to allow
tab 53 to be inserted into groove 54, preferably without the aid of
tools. In the engaged condition, hook face 63 of hook 51 is
proximate face 52a of hook 52 and hook face 62 is proximate face
51a of hook 51.
It is noted that the hooks, tab and groove are just examples of
mechanically securing the connectable ends of split-sealing ring 60
to prevent both longitudinal and lateral movement of the
connectable ends with respect to each other. Furthermore, while
FIG. 7 shows sealing ring restraining members comprising a pair of
hooks 51 and 52 that engage with each other to prevent longitudinal
movement of sealing ring 60 and a tab 53 and groove 54 that engage
with each other to prevent lateral movement of sealing ring 60, in
some instances only one or the other (for example, a pair of hooks
or tab and groove) may be used to secure the sealing ring 60 around
a pipe or the like.
FIG. 8 shows the split-sealing ring 60 in an engaged condition with
the connectable ends joined to each other. The split-sealing ring
60 like sealing ring 20 shown in FIG. 2, allows one to place the
sealing ring 60 around a pipe without having to slide the sealing
ring over the end of the pipe. That is, the split-sealing ring 60
retains sufficient flexibility so that the ends 61 and 62 can be
separated to allow lateral insertion of the split-sealing ring 60
around a pipe with a leaky fitting or in some cases a pipe that may
develop a leak and also has sufficient resiliency to return to its
original circular shape after the sealing ring is placed around the
pipe. Thus, with the sealing ring 60 a user can seal a leak in a
system without having to cut, remove and replace the existing
fitting and pipe since the split ring can be positioned next to a
leaky fitting and secured to the pipe and the leaky fitting to
provide a secondary seal to inhibit or prevent leakage from the
primary joint between the pipe and the fitting.
FIG. 9 shows a front view of sealing ring 60 having a hand grip
comprising four curved radial hand or finger gripping protrusions
65 that are spaced around the outer circumference of sealing ring
60. While four finger gripping regions are shown more or less may
be used. The radial protrusion are finger friendly in that they
allow a person to grasp and rotate the ring 60 as one slides the
sealing ring into a sealing position. That is to position the
sealing ring to prevent or stop a leak, the user may rotate the
sealing ring around the pipe (not shown) with one hand while at the
same time axially sliding the sealing ring toward a fitting with a
leaky joint. The radial protrusions 65 may be smooth or contain
axial groves to allow comfortable yet firm engagement of a user's
fingers with the sealing ring 60 such that the user may rotate
sealing ring 60 into a sealing condition against a pipe fitting.
Radial protrusions 65 are also of sufficient height to provide ease
of use for the user and also to ensure that the sealing ring with
protrusions fits within the space wherein the sealing ring is used.
While hand grip is shown with radial protrusions the hand grip may
also be formed with relief regions in the sealing ring 60.
While FIGS. 1-9 show a one-piece or split sealing ring, if desired
the sealing ring could be comprised of more than one piece. For
example, the use of two sets of connectable ends on a sealing ring
would allow one to place one portion of a sealing ring around a
pipe and then secure the other portion of the sealing ring to the
one portion of the sealing ring.
Thus, in one embodiment the invention comprises a combination,
namely a sealing ring having an annular sealing surface, a pipe and
a pipe fitting having a joint therebetween that may or may not
leak; and a securement film present on either the annular sealing
surface or the pipe or both, with the sealing ring positionable
along the pipe and into engagement with the pipe fitting when the
securement film is in an uncured state. When the securement film is
cured the securement film secures the sealing ring proximate the
pipe and the pipe fitting to thereby inhibit or prevent leaks
through a primary joint between a pipe and a fitting.
* * * * *